Edmonton Eskimos fall short against Riders

Esks lose 30-27 to Roughriders, Aug 24 2013

Edmonton's Alexander Donovan tackles Saskatchewan's slotback Weston Dressler during the first half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Age

Edmonton's quarterback Mike Reilly hugs slotback Fred Stamps after he scored a touchdown as wide receiver Marcus Henry smiles during the first half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Age

Edmonton's slotback Fred Stamps celebrates with fans after catching a touchdown pass during the first half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Age

Edmonton's slotback Fred Stamps catches a touchdown pass during the first half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Age

Edmonton's Marcus Howard (right) sacks Saskatchewan's quarterback Darian Durant during the first half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Age

Edmonton's Marcus Howard (right) sacks Saskatchewan's quarterback Darian Durant during the first half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Age

Edmonton's runningback Calvin McCarty is grabbed by Saskatchewan's defense during the first half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Age

Edmonton quarterback Mike Reilly reacts after getting tackled during the second half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Saskatchewan won 30-27. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Age

Edmonton slotback Cary Koch is tackled by Saskatchewan safety Craig Butler during the second half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Saskatchewan won 30-27. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Age

The Eskimos cheer squad are seen during the second half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Saskatchewan won 30-27. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Age

The Eskimos cheer squad are seen during the second half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Saskatchewan won 30-27. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Age

Edmonton's slotback Fred Stamps watches as Saskatchewan's defensive back Dwight Anderson grabs an interception during the second half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Saskatchewan won 30-27. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Age

Saskatchewan wide receiver Taj Smith (top) celebrates runningback Kory Sheets's touchdown during the second half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Saskatchewan won 30-27. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Age

Saskatchewan runningback Kory Sheets dives into the end zone for a touchdown during the second half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Saskatchewan won 30-27. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Age

Saskatchewan slotback Weston Dressler is knocked upside down by a tackle from Edmonton safety Donovan Alexander during the second half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Saskatchewan won 30-27. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Age

Edmonton quarterback Mike Reilly throws away the ball while under pressure from Saskatchewan's defense during the second half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Saskatchewan won 30-27. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Age

Edmonton defensive end Marcus Howard is blocked by Saskatchewan quarterback Darian Durant (right) during the second half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Saskatchewan won 30-27. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Age

Saskatchewan runningback Kory Sheets celebrates a touchdown during the second half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Saskatchewan won 30-27. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Age

Saskatchewan runningback Kory Sheets scores a touchdown during the second half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Saskatchewan won 30-27. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Age

Edmonton slotback Fred Stamps scores his second touchdown of the night during the second half of the Edmonton Eskimos' CFL football game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Saskatchewan won 30-27. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

With the Grey Cup on display outside Commonwealth Stadium, the Edmonton Eskimos let it slip even further out of their reach as they fell to 1-7 on the season.

In their first home game since the completion of nearly 56,000 Green and Gold new seats, it was the Green and White of the Saskatchewan Roughriders fans that shone the brightest on the way to a 30-27 victory.

The Eskimos have now dropped their last four games by a combined 12 points.

Not even the introduction of the Eskimos version of Pittsburgh’s Terrible Towel, stolen from the Steelers and handed out to the first 10,000 in the stands, could make a difference on Purolator Tackle Hunger day that saw a CFL season-high 41,868 turn out to watch the top team in the league pad their place in the standings to 7-1 for the first time since 1971.

Just when things were finally starting to go Edmonton’s way going toe-to-toe with the league’s best, they shot themselves in the foot late in the fourth quarter once again.

“Obviously we’re disappointed,” said Eskimos head coach Kavis Reed, whose team dropped its sixth in a row. “It’s difficult, but this is a tremendously strong character team.

“When you look at (Saturday’s) performance against arguably the best team, they came out and they went blow-for-blow.”

Until midway through the fourth, trailing 29-27, when a spectacular 35-yard sideline reception by wide receiver Cary Koch set Edmonton on the doorstep, only to have third-stringer Kerry Joseph come in on short yardage and bobble the snap.

Mike Reilly followed up by throwing his second interception of the game, with Dwight Anderson picking off a pass that would have otherwise been Fred Stamps’s third touchdown of the game.

Instead, the Roughriders scored a punt single to lead by three with two minutes remaining.

Any chance at a comeback was fumbled away when Reilly was steamrolled by former Eskimos defensive half Weldon Brown with 78 seconds left.

For the third game in a row, Reilly passed for over 300 yards, completing 19 of 29 attempts with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

“There are no more steps forward without wins,” said Reilly. “We can’t take moral victories all the way to the end of the season, we’ve got to win.

“And we were in a position to do that (Saturday), except I lacked execution on the last two drives and that cost us.”

Freshly signed kicker Hugh O’Neill scored on his first field-goal attempt with his hometown team as the two sides traded three-pointers in the first quarter. He went two-for-two, while his counterpart, Roughriders kicker Chris Milo went five-for-five to kick off Saskatchewan’s scoring and give them a 15-10 lead early in the first quarter.

Stamps scored his second touchdown of the game, a 21-yard reception that followed up a 33-yarder, to lead 17-15 before league-leading rusher Kory Sheets tore into the end zone for his first of two rushing touchdowns on the way to 139 yards on 24 carries and surpass 1,000 yards on the season.

They sandwiched a 13-yard touchdown catch by wide receiver Cary Koch and rounded out the scoring for the Eskimos, who once again came up with too little, too late, and fell to 0-4 at home this season.

Edmonton Eskimos fall short against Riders

With the Grey Cup, itself, on display outside of Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday, the Edmonton Eskimos let it slip even further out of their reach as they fell to 1-7 on the season.

In their first home game since the completion of nearly 56,000 Green and Gold new seats, it was the Green and White of the Saskatchewan Roughriders fans that shone the brightest on the way to a 30-27 victory.

The Eskimos have now dropped their last four games by a combined 12 points.

Not even the introduction of the Eskimos version of Pittsburgh’s Terrible Towel, stolen from the Steelers and handed out to the first 10,000 in the stands, could make a difference on Purolator Tackle Hunger day that saw a CFL season-high 41,868 turn out to watch the top team in the league pad their lead in the standings to 7-1 for the first time since 1971.

Just when things were finally starting to go Edmonton’s way going toe-to-toe with the league’s best, they shot themselves in the foo